Day Trips from Manchester

In Brief. The Martin Mere Wetland Centre occupies a substantial rural site in Lancashire, to the East of Southport, run by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust . This site includes a relatively managed area that hosts the cafe, visitor centre and its own collection of birds (and otters) from around the globe. The bulk of the area, however, consists of habitats for wild birds, including the mere itself and a reedbed, which can be visited from a network of paths and observed in several hides. A Coscoroba swan on an impressive nest. What's Here? The area occupied by the wetland centre has had a complicated history, having once been a large lake that was drained for farmland, and which has more recently been converted into habitats for wildfowl. Thus, like various Royal Society for the Protection of Birds sites, such as St Aidans , the landscape looks like it could be natural, but in fact is carefully managed.  The Mere from Discovery Hide As many of the residents migrate, there are differ...

In Brief. RSPB St Aidans is a nature reserve that occupies a former open cast coal mine, and which now provides a variety of habitats for birds and other wildlife, traversed by walks of varying lengths.  Nearby Lotherton Hall is run by Leeds Museums and Galleries , and includes more managed nature, in the form of formal and less formal gardens, a deer park, a woodland walk and a small zoo. Reedbeds from the Lowther Loop Walk What's Here? The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) runs over 200 nature reserves in the UK, which tend to combine the opportunity for a walk in the countryside with some more serious wildlife photography. Evidence for the latter is how many people are packing impressive camera gear.  Some RSPB sites seem better than others for walkers, and St Aidans is one of the better ones.  There are plenty circular walks, and not just walks that lead to hides; indeed there are no hides at St Aidans, and there is a cafe with good views. In terms o...

In Brief. Brockholes is a nature reserve, adjacent to the River Ribble and the M6 motorway near Preston. The reserve occupies a site that has previously been quarried, and that has been developed to provide a variety of habitats including reed beds, lakes, woodland areas and a marsh. The centrepiece is a floating visitor centre that hosts a cafe, a welcome building with some information on wildlife and habitats, and some meeting spaces.  Seemingly you can also get married here!  Visitor Village and Meadow Lake What's Here? Having recently visited more than one inland Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) reserve (the one at Leighton Moss features in a blog ), some features are beginning to recur that are shared with Brockholes.  These include calm areas of water, paths that navigate trough a variety of habitats, views over the waterways, and hides that the very patient can use to get closer to the local wildlife (not being so patient, I moved on from one promp...

 In Brief. Just to the south of the Lake District, and close to Silverdale, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)  Leighton Moss  reserve provides access to a distinctive natural habitat in the form of a substantial reed bed, with assorted viewing areas and a visitor center. I saw a variety of mostly rather familiar birds, but a significant number of more committed ornithologists were well equipped with impressive cameras, so likely there are more exotic species to be seen if you know where to look. If you prefer your nature more tamed, the nearby National Trust property at Sizergh  provides civilised gardens adjacent to a hall that has evolved over almost 800 years of occupancy by the same family. Sizergh House from the Mirror Lake. What's Here? A visit to the RSPB Web Site reveals that they have over 180 nature reserves. The only one I had previously visited featured nesting seabirds at Bempton Cliffs , and was clearly a popular tourist destination....